In the event of an emergency, most if not all countries allow a person to request aid or to report an emergency through a public emergency notification system. For example, in the United States, a person can use the telephone system to notify emergency response personnel of an impending or pending emergency by entering the numbers 9-1-1 into any device coupled to the telephone network. This particular sequence of numbers is routed directly to an emergency response center where an operator collects information from the person reporting the incident. This information typically includes the nature of the emergency and the location of the caller, as well as other information that can assist the operator in dispatching the appropriate emergency response personnel.
Based on the information culled from the caller, the operator must determine which emergency response personnel to alert. Nevertheless, in some circumstances, the information provided by the caller can be limited, i.e., the caller is not sure of his or her location, or the information can be inadequate, i.e., the caller is not able to provide detailed information or is not aware of the totality of the circumstances. For example, the caller might be reporting a strange chemical smell, but not realize that a building is on fire a few yards away. The operator may alert a hazardous materials inspection team, but not necessarily the fire department. While corrective measures can be taken once the alerted emergency personnel arrive on the scene, e.g., the hazardous materials inspectors can determine that the fire department must be alerted, precious time is wasted.
Moreover, the information provided by the caller is but one snapshot in time. Once the call is terminated, the emergency response operator has no way of monitoring the event. Thus, if an emergency situation morphs into another emergency situation, i.e., a domestic dispute turns into a child abduction situation, the operator has no way of responding to this unless the caller initiates another 9-1-1 call.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved method and system for collecting information about a critical event such as an emergency situation. The method and system should allow an emergency response center to receive appropriate and adequate information to alert the appropriate responders. In addition, the center should be able to continue monitoring a critical event so that new developments can be detected and the proper alerts issued in a timely manner. The present invention addresses such a need.